What is VPS HOSTING?

VPS hosting is a Virtual Private Server, and is a virtualized server. A VPS hosting environment mimics a dedicated server within a shared hosting environment. It is technically both shared hosting and dedicated hosting.

VPS Hosting is one of several types of web hosting accounts you can choose from to host your website online. To have a website on the internet, you need to have your website files on a web server. Setting up and managing a server can not only be expensive, but difficult too. Purchasing web hosting allows someone to rent space on a web server, making it easier for the average person to have hosted a website online because all they need to do is upload their site files (no server setup is needed on their part)..

Why VPS Hosting?

People generally switch to a VPS hosting environment, because they want more customization and control options. Sometimes website owners will end up using the same settings that they were using with a shared host, but they enjoy having more control over their hosting environment.

A VPS is also less technically heavy than a dedicated server, and can be a great bridge into an eventual dedicated hosting setup.

Advantages of VPS hosting

One of the primary advantages to using a VPS, as opposed to a traditional web hosting service, is that the subscriber has full access to the VPS’s OS, with unrestricted root or administrator permissions. This level of access allows subscribers to configure the VPS to meet their own unique requirements.

The subscriber may also opt to host additional services on the server, such as a File Transfer Protocol site, a mail server, or specialized applications and dependency databases for activities such as e-commerce and blogging.

Another advantage to using a VPS is that it allows the subscriber to host multiple websites. An organization might, for instance, host its production website and a development site on the same VPS. Similarly, a web development company may lease a VPS and use it to host websites for multiple customers.

Disadvantages of VPS hosting

VPSs are commonly used by smaller organizations that want the flexibility of a dedicated server, but without the cost. Although a VPS can meet this requirement, it does have its disadvantages.

The primary disadvantage to using a VPS is its lack of performance. The organization that provides the VPS will typically throttle the server’s performance in an effort to maximize the number of VPSs that the physical server is able to accommodate. In the unlikely event that the VPS’s performance is not throttled, it then becomes possible for an adjacent VPS to consume excessive resources, to the point of impacting the VPS’s performance.

Another possible disadvantage to using a VPS is security. VPSs are usually based on server virtualization, which should be able to keep VPSs adequately isolated from one another. Even so, those with significant security requirements commonly avoid multi-tenant environments as a best practice.